Thill-support



(No Modl.)

M. L. & J. D. RICE THILL SUPPORT.

Patented Mar. 16,1897.

I n venworfi W iLnesses:

Qw L.

Auorriey UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MERTON L. RICE AND JOHN D. RICE, OF UTIOA, MICHIGAN.

THlLL-SU PPO RT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 578,774, dated March 16, 1897.

Application filed July 29, 1896. Serial No. 600,902. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MERTON L. RICE and JOHN D. RICE, citizens of the United States, residing at Utica, in the county of Macomb and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Supports for vehicles; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has relation to adjustable thill-supports for Vehicles, and the object is to provide a device for supporting the thills of vehicles in an elevated position while the vehicle is not in use; and to this end the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims. I

In the accompanying drawings the same letters of reference indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front portion of a buggy with its shafts or thills supported in an elevated position by our improved thill-supports, and Fig. 2 is a similar view of our improved thill-supporter detach ed from the vehicle.

A is a flexible leather strap, one end of which is turned back upon itself and adj ustably secured to a buckle-B, so as to form a loop 0, in the bight of which is a spring-wire double hook D, removably secured in place by a slide E on the loop 0. The opposite end of the strap A is provided with a ring F, and on the strap between the loop 0 and the ring F is adjustably secured a V-shaped shoe G, its angular sides being formed with slotted ears 9 g, through which the strap passes. The inner face of this shoe G is provided with a piece of felt H or similar non-abrasive material properly and permanently secured thereto.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, the spring-hook D is attached to the foot-rail of the buggy, the shoe resting on the dashboard and the ring F hooked over a button X, permanently secured to the under side of the cross-bar, and when so adjusted the thills may be supported when the vehicle is in the barn or stable, or when hitching up avoiding all danger of the animal stepping on the thills and damaging them.

By regulating the length of the strap or the distance between the hook D and the ring F by means of the buckle B the thills can be elevated as desired, and the felt lining to the angular shoe G prevents any injury to the paint or varnish on the 'dashboard.

Although we have specifically described the construction and relative arrangement of the several elements of our invention, we do not desire to be confined to the same, as such changes or modifications may be made as clearly fall within the scope of our invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, an adjustable strap, provided at one end with a spring-hook and at the other with a ring, and having its body portion between said hook and ring provided with an angular shoe lined with felt or other material and having slotted ears through which said strap passes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a thillsupport for vehicles, comprising an angular slotted shoe lined with felt or other material and in which is adj ustably secured a flexible strap, one of the ends of which is provided with a spring-hook and the other with a permanent ring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. As a newarticle of manufacture, a thillsupport for vehicles, comprising an angular slotted shoe lined with felt or other material and in which is adj ustably secured a flexible strap, one of the ends of which is provided with a permanent ring, and the other terminating in an adjustable loop in which is secured a spring-hook, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

MERTON L. RICE. JOHN D. RICE.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. SWITZER, ROBERT THOMPSON. 

